HR Professionals and Growers Offer Expert Advice on Labor Solutions

Everyone is talking about labor. If you’re a greenhouse grower, you know why. Labor issues have come to the forefront of the horticulture industry since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Great Resignation led many workers to retire early or seek jobs with better pay and benefits. Other workers grew tired of doing manual labor in the heat on a regular basis. A number of factors have left growers in a sticky situation when it comes to finding labor solutions to build their workforce.

In an upcoming series on labor, Greenhouse Grower will offer you solutions. The four-part series will address recruiting, retaining, onboarding, and H-2A regulations.

• You will hear from AmericanHort Scholars Ethan Jenkins and Donna Perez as they navigate the early stages of their careers in horticulture. As younger members of the workforce, they bring a fresh, unique perspective to recruitment efforts. If growers are looking for young talent, Jenkins and Perez can tell them where to find it.
• An important aspect of recruiting and retaining quality talent is the opportunity for personal growth, according to Training and Development Manager Geneiva McNeale of Metrolina Greenhouses. She will share insights on how Metrolina has developed a positive company culture that allows for the successful growth of its plants and its people. Stay tuned to read more about Metrolina’s class to help different generations of workers understand each other and collaborate to achieve their shared goals.
• AmericanHort’s Education Program Specialist Amy Ballard will detail a new training and certification program for head growers. Many head growers are reaching retirement age, but there may not be someone lined up to take over their responsibilities. This new program from AmericanHort will help growers develop new talent to fill their key positions.
• Kris Nightengale, Vice President of Sales for AdeptAg, says mechanization and automation also help with recruiting talent. If the most tedious tasks in the greenhouse are automated, employees can take on jobs that rely more on brain power than brawn. Nightengale will detail how growers can use mechanization and automation to develop labor-saving solutions.
• Michael Maggiotto, Senior Human Capital Advisor for BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group, gives advice on hiring and onboarding new employees. When growers have a proper onboarding plan, employees learn about the company culture, the chain of command, and build rapport with their manager and coworkers. He will offer more information on developing an onboarding system to help new employees succeed.
• Craig Regelbrugge and Sara Neagu-Reed of AmericanHort will weigh in on the latest development in the H-2A program. Despite the high cost and numerous regulations, more growers are turning to H-2A to supply a significant portion of their workforce. Regelbrugge and Neagu-Reed will offer a few insights on what they expect in an upcoming program rule from the U.S. Department of Labor, a new rule on wages, and the annual process to set the Adverse Effect Wage Rate for next year.

Stay tuned to hear more from growers across the country on their best practices for managing their workforce. Part one of the series will be published online later this month.